"It's the first vindication from appointing Kwesi Appiah. For me I think that he is doing well and he will still get all the support from us," Nyantakyi said.

"I'm very happy we qualified to Afcon 2013. It didn't come on a silver platter, collectively they have all done an amazing job."

The president of the federation has also tasked Appiah to craft a formidable squad that will be capable of ending their 31-year wait for an African crown.

"I told the technical team they should keep calm on the celebration and strategise for the Nations Cup. We must ensure that we do everything necessary to win the tournament, and the qualifier for 2014 World Cup as well," Nyantakyi said.

The Black Stars are looking ahead to next week's draw in South Africa where they will know their opponents for the tournament which will be played from January 19 to February 10, 2013.